


Between a Knot and a Hard Place

by Anonymous



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Accidental Knotting, Alpha Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Canon, Anal Sex, Bonding, Bottom Merlin (Merlin), Canon Era, Knotting, M/M, Magic Made Them Do It, Omega Merlin (Merlin), Pining, Spells & Enchantments, Top Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-11-01 08:03:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17863514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Arthur slowly blinked his eyes open. His head ached and as he pushed himself up, he struggled to focus on his surroundings. He had some vague memories of being accosted. There had been a small scuffle between himself and a bandit, and the other men… He frowned. The other men had been sorcerers and Merlin—the idiot—had drawn their attention to him. The last thing Arthur could remember is diving to knock Merlin away from getting hit by one of their spells. After that it was all a blank.Or, beware, when you get accosted by bandits and sorcerers. You might get more than you bargained for.





	Between a Knot and a Hard Place

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 1 of The Kings Chambers Week 2019.
> 
> To Plu, with many hugs and much love. ♥

Arthur slowly blinked his eyes open. His head ached and as he pushed himself up, he struggled to focus on his surroundings. He had some vague memories of being accosted. There had been a small scuffle between himself and a bandit, and the other men… He frowned. The other men had been sorcerers and Merlin—the idiot—had drawn their attention to him. The last thing Arthur could remember is diving to knock Merlin away from getting hit by one of their spells. After that it was all a blank. 

Thinking about Merlin, where the hell was he? Arthur cast his eyes anxiously around looking for his manservant and any signs that their attackers could still be lurking. He spotted the red of his scarf first and then the blue-brown combination of Merlin’s shirt and jacket as he lay on the ground unconscious, with his dark head turned away from him some distance away. Arthur hauled himself to his feet and staggered towards Merlin. He bent and felt his neck for a pulse, and let out a sigh of relief when he felt a familiar answering ‘thump, thump’ against his fingertips. 

“Merlin,” he hissed, shaking Merlin’s shoulder. He wanted to get away from here and back to the safety of Camelot as soon as possible. “Merlin!” 

Finally his manservant started to stir, murmuring something incomprehensible to Arthur. “Wha? What happened?” 

“We were attacked. We need to leave, before they come back. Come on.” 

Arthur pulled Merlin’s arm around his neck and hoisted him to his feet. Merlin’s head lolled and he stumbled as Arthur dragged him along with him through the clearing into the woods. Damn it. This would be much easier if they still had horses but Arthur knew they were long gone. It would also help if Merlin would just pick up his stupid, buckled feet. 

With an annoyed sigh, Arthur stopped and bent to grasp Merlin around the waist before dragging him up and over his shoulder. 

“Hey—hey… what are you...?” said Merlin groggily. “Arthur. Put me down. I can walk.” 

_Liar_ , Arthur thought to himself. Merlin always insisted that he was okay when he wasn’t and they both knew it. The only thing to be done was to always assume he was lying. 

“You really can’t. Right now, you can’t even put one foot in front of the other. So stop wriggling and let me carry you.” 

Merlin huffed and muttered something about the lack dignity. But otherwise let himself hang from Arthur’s shoulder. His lack of protest worried Arthur. He needed to find them a safe spot to attend to Merlin and whatever injuries he was hiding. They would spend the night, whilst he sorted Merlin out, and then they would head back to Camelot in the morning. 

***

When Merlin finally woke again Arthur pushed him down again. “Stay still. You knocked your head.”

Immediately Merlin went to touch his head. Arthur slapped his hand away. “Don’t touch it. Honestly. What _is_ Gaius teaching you?”

Merlin rolled his eyes at him.

Once he’d stoked the fire, Arthur reached for the rock upon which he had ground a few herbs and returned to Merlin. He helped him sit up and Merlin hissed as he examined his head wound. 

“Oh, don’t be such a girl, Merlin,” he said, slathering the comfrey and yarrow paste on. “Now, come on and get closer to the fire.”

Merlin got to his feet, still a bit unsteady as he made his way over to Arthur and the fire. 

“How far is Camelot from here?” Merlin asked, wincing a little as he sat.

“A few hours. Rest up, we’ll head home tomorrow.”

***

The next day, close to noon, Arthur crossed the drawbridge along with a hobbling Merlin. They were greeted by his father and Gaius to ensure that they were both fine. Once it had been established that Arthur was well, he was taken off by his father to be tended to and dined, whilst Merlin was whisked off by Gaius.

Once clean and dressed in fresh clothes, Arthur sat at one end of the long dining table with his father at the other. Hungry and tired, Arthur tucked into the food, eating as quickly as he thought he could get away with without getting scolded for his table manners.

“You should be more careful, Arthur, something serious could have happened.”

Arthur swallowed his mouthful and reached for a goblet. “I’m apologise, Father.” He sipped on the wine. “We were taken by surprise. I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

His father nodded at him. “Be sure of it.”

It was at this point Arthur noticed the hall was rather hot, hellishly hot, now he came to think of it. He could feel sweat starting to bead on his forehead and slowly begin to roll down his spine. And that wasn’t the only thing. He was having rather an excruciating and mortifying problem. He needed to leave. Immediately. Right now. Arthur tugged at the collar of his jacket and cleared his throat. “Father, it’s been rather a long day. If you could excuse me…”

“Of course, of course!” his father said with a wave of his hand. “Go and rest. We must have you fighting fit for the kingdom.” 

Arthur hurried thankfully from the room and to his chambers, as fast as the circumstances allowed him. His persistent sweating hadn’t been the only problem he was facing. The other rather pressing issue had been too embarrassing to even allow himself to think about. He slammed the door to his room shut and slid to the floor, ripping open his laces before wrapped a hand around his cock and sighing with relief.

He worked his hand hard and fast, with a madness—a desperation to get off as soon as he could. 

“Shit. Fuck. Come on, come on!” he muttered, frustrated until finally he crested and came with a cry. He collapsed back against the door, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. Much better.

But his relief was only temporary. Within moments, much to his horror, the heat and the urgency came flooding back. Arthur groaned and stripped away his clothes, clambering onto his bed for another go.

***

Groaning and twisting to turn the other way on his bed, Merlin shuddered. His whole body ached with need. When would it stop? This pain, this agony. His whole body _hurt_. He couldn’t ever remember feeling such pain. He’d had fevers before. But none of them had been like this. Certainly not with all the… urges. His temperature had never reached such scaling heights. Not even that time in Ealdor when his leg got infected after cutting it during the harvest. He had been so ill then it had been touch and go for a while. But due to his mother’s care and rudimentary medical knowledge, he’d managed to pull through.

Even Gaius was at a loss to explain what was causing it. His head wound had been healing nicely, and other than a few cuts and bruises, he had no other injuries. Merlin had managed to avoid Gaius giving him a full body examination, thus far, thank goodness! But he wasn’t sure how much longer he could hide his symptoms from his mentor. He had a problem. A rather big problem. His—his cock had been as hard as steel ever since he’d returned to Camelot and he had this rather embarrassing problem with his back passage. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced or read about. He not only ached. But he _needed_. He _needed_ something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

He had tried wanking a few times to get rid of his most urgent problem—he could hide the other symptoms, but it was rather more difficult to hide a raging hard-on when you were bed-bound. But hadn’t done anything to help. If anything, it had made things worse. The pain and the never-ending lust raged on and his cock remained stubbornly erect. Merlin had done his own examination on the fluid that was leaking from him when Gauis had left him alone. It was clear, sticky and slick. It was different than come. And it had felt good to touch there. He’d spent half the night pressing his fingers inside. They’d slid in so easily, but still he’d found no relief. He was at a loss to explain what was causing it. All he knew was if he couldn’t find relief soon, he might just die. He had wiped the stuff away at first with a few old shirts, but now he was running out of clothes and places to hide them, and his room was starting to stink of sex.

With much effort, Merlin managed to uncurl himself and get himself off the bed. He shivered and clenched in a futile effort to contain the fluid from leaking out again. He slowly bent to get his magic book from under the floorboards beneath his bed. There _had_ to be a magical explanation for this. These things didn’t just happen out of nowhere, did they? If only there was someone who could help. He couldn’t tell Gaius. The dragon was completely out of the question. He’d rather die from whatever the hell this was than let _anyone_ know of his affliction.

***

Arthur gingerly pushed open the door to the physician’s chambers. He had chosen this time so early in the morning in hopes that Merlin would be asleep. The last thing he needed was his manservant knowing and teasing him about his predicament. He glanced around, taking in the banked fire and the empty beds in the room, but he couldn’t see Gaius anywhere.

He sniffed the air, and strong scent hit him so sharply and so intensely he almost doubled over with it. What on earth was that smell? It was earthy and musty and it made his cock throb within his breeches. His eyes grew wide and he strode through the room following the alluring scent. He set his jaw and grit his teeth, whoever it was was hiding. Hiding from him. Arthur. The crown prince. He could smell it, the fear emanating from them. And no one hid from Arthur. Nobody. He tilted his head and sniffed again. Yes, it was definitely coming from the very back of the room. Arthur made his way through the chambers, walking around tables and chairs before storming up the stairs. He ripped the door from its hinges the door. The smell was coming from inside. 

There in front of him was Merlin. Or rather, Merlin’s delectable backside. Merlin’s head shot up and he wobbled and topped over onto his back. 

“A—Arthur?” he asked with confusion.

“Get. Up,” Arthur said through gritted teeth as he took a step forward.

Merlin trembled and started to shuffle backwards further and further away from Arthur until he had run out of space and found himself up against the wall.

“I said. _Get. Up._ ”

He grabbed Merlin by his nightshirt and hauled him upright slamming him against the wall. Arthur crowded up against him, holding Merlin’s squirming body in place with his own.

“Arthur—Arthur! What—What are you d-doing?” protested Merlin, still squirming between Arthur and the wall. Arthur grasped Merlin’s hands with his and pinned them against the wall. “Arthur, let me go!”

Arthur ignored his protests, and pressed his nose against Merlin’s slender neck and collarbones, sniffing intently to confirm his theory. “Yes, it’s you,” he growled.

“Arthur!” repeated Merlin, sounding hysterical.

“Shut. Up. Merlin,” Arthur snarled, barely recognising the sound of his own voice.

Merlin stilled beneath him and Arthur decided he needed to taste him to be sure. He licked a long strip up Merlin’s neck and his manservant shivered beneath him. Arthur nuzzled his nose in the crook of Merlin’s neck. His scent, his taste was intoxicating. He pressed closer still and smiled against Merlin’s skin as he felt a hardness pressing against his hip.

“You, too?” Arthur asked. He groaned when Merlin shifted and started to rub himself against him.

“Y-Yes,” stuttered Merlin. Arthur pulled back and studied his face. Merlin’s face was flushed and his eyes were dark, his pupils blown wide as he trembled against him. 

He felt Merlin’s forehead with his hand. “Merlin,” he whispered. “You’re burning up.”

Merlin nodded back at him miserably. Arthur rubbed his arms up and down Merlin’s. He wanted to continue and he was barely able to hold himself back from the urge to take, take and take some more. But ultimately, his sense of chivalry won out. He couldn’t. Not if Merlin was sick.

“Arthur, please,” begged Merlin. He pressed himself into Arthur’s body and Arthur could feel him relax into his arms.

“You want this?” He asked it as though it was a question, though he could tell that they both felt that was there wasn’t really a choice. Not if they wanted to end these feelings that were driving them insane.

“Yes,” whimpered Merlin. 

That was all Arthur needed to hear. He dove back in, licking, kissing and then biting Merlin’s neck, hard. Merlin gave a yelp and wrapped his legs around him. Arthur adjusted his stance to support the extra weight. His hand made contact with the wet seat of Merlin’s breeches.

“Merlin?” he asked. Merlin’s face flushed brighter still and he buried his face in Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur slid a hand down the back of Merlin’s trousers and into his smalls. “You’re wet,” he said with wonder. “Like a girl.”

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Merlin mumbled against his shoulder. 

Arthur continued his exploration, a finger circling around Merlin’s hole, the source of his wet heat. It twitched and opened at his touch. Merlin’s breath hitched as he trembled against him and then he gasped, arching his back as Arthur shoved two fingers inside. They slid in so easily and so Arthur immediately added a third, a forth.

“Oh Gods, oh gods,” Merlin whimpered clutching Arthur’s shoulders. “Yes, Arthur. Yes.”

Arthur moaned and his other hand scrabbled at the back of Merlin’s breeches, there was a tearing sound as he half-ripped and half-shoved them down Merlin’s thighs where they hung in tatters, before he ripped the laces from his own and freed his cock. He pulled his fingers free and lined up his cock, sliding into Merlin—who had wrapped his legs around Arthur’s hips—with one swift move. Merlin cried out, digging his fingers into Arthur’s back. He hissed from the pain before he shoved more deeply into Merlin and ferociously attacked his mouth as Arthur took what was his. Finally, _finally_ feeling some blessed relief. Merlin was his, damn it. Arthur’s and Arthur’s alone. And he would have him and no one else. If Arthur ever so much as saw anyone else looking at him, he swore he would have them executed.

“Mine, you are mine, Merlin,” Arthur growled against Merlin’s cheek as he drove his cock in and out of Merlin’s hole. It tightened and gripped around him. Slick dripping warm and wet between them. 

“Yes, yes,” said Merlin, moaning and nearly breathless as Arthur shoved him hard against the wall. “More, more!”

“Oh, I’ll give you more all right!”

***

Merlin couldn’t help but let out a gasp as Arthur, his eyes sharp and menacing hauled him into his arms and then threw them both down onto Merlin's narrow bed. This was like all his best dreams come true. Arthur, fierce, aggressive, and wanting him. Arthur pulled out abruptly leaving Merlin feeling bereft. He cringed with embarrassment as he let out a desperate whine. 

They hadn’t done enough yet. He needed more. 

Arthur hushed him and manhandled him to flip him onto his stomach. Then he climbed on top of him, the weight of his body pining Merlin down. A groan emanated from the back of Merlin’s throat as Arthur pushed his cock back inside him, the angle was better, deeper than it had been before. Then Arthur clutched at the wooden frame of the old bed and and proceeded to pound into him. 

The bed creaked beneath them as thrust after thrust Arthur pushed Merlin up the bed and rumbled the sheets. Merlin braced his hands against the wall to stop himself being crushed against it as Arthur fucked into him like a man possessed. Maybe he was. Maybe that was part of the spell. Merlin pushed the thoughts aside. So what if it was? So what if it was the spell making Arthur want him like this. Merlin had wanted this for so long, he would take Arthur however he could get him. Certainly, this wouldn’t be happening under the usual circumstances. And Merlin needed this _so much_. 

Arthur continued thrusting and thrusting, and soon it was all Merlin could do to huff out a series of, _Uh, uh, uh. Yes, yes. Fuck. Arthur_ ’s as Arthur rutted into him. Filling him with his cock. Arthur shifted on top of him and pushed his hand between Merlin and the mattress to wrap a hand around Merlin’s cock. Merlin gasped, his blood and magic singing. Unable to do anything as his head flung back and he came within a few strokes. He pumped his seed onto the sheet beneath him, and behind him he heard a low groan as Arthur pressed his forehead against Merlin’s clothed back. Merlin clenched around him, and Arthur trembled above him. Merlin clenched again. Merlin wanted Arthur to come inside him. He wanted to milk him dry, to take everything that he gave him. He’d just come, but Merlin wanted more. It wasn’t enough. He needed Arthur to come inside him.

***

Arthur gasped against Merlin’s neck as he tugged him up onto all fours and pulled his body back onto his cock. Merlin’s body grasping and clenching around him like a well-fitting glove. He was almost there, so close. He could feel the heat building and pooling and there was the strangest feeling in his cock. Arthur was not new to fucking. He had shagged a couple of chambermaids and in his misspent youth, he had even tupped a few squires. But this, this feeling was new.

“Merlin,” he managed over his exertions as he continued to snap his hips, fucking into Merlin. “I feel… You feel so good. So good. Are you…”

“I’m better. Good,” Merlin panted heavily. “Keep going I need more. Arthur!” Merlin reached back and tugged at the back of his thigh. “Just give it to me. Come on!”

Arthur paused, he couldn’t help feeling that he was on the edge of something. Something big.

“Arthur!” snarled Merlin, fucking back on Arthur’s cock. “Keep. Going.”

Something snapped in Arthur at Merlin’s insolent tone. He tore off his own shirt and he growled as dug his fingers into Merlin’s hips and drove himself into him harder, deeper, faster. 

“Yes, that’s it. Mine,” he said. He sucked a bite into Merlin’s neck and Merlin bucked and writhed, voicing his pleasure. “Mine, mine!”

“Yours, yours,” cried out Merlin as he stripped his own cock.

Stars burst behind Arthur’s eyes as he erupted inside of Merlin and Merlin let out a shout as a breeze swept through the room. Arthur felt his prick starting to swell, growing larger and larger as he pumped his come inside his manservant. He slumped, his chest heaving as he waited to regain his breathe. And when he grew cognizant enough to recall what had happened, Arthur looked down between them, terrified as he tried to pull out but found that he couldn’t budge. He and Merlin were stuck fast.

“Oh shit. Fuck. Merlin, I can’t… It’s not… My— It’s— I think we’re stuck.”

Merlin pressed his head to against his folded arms and bit his lip, stifling a whimper.

Arthur pressed himself against Merlin’s back and tipped his head to peek at Merlin. “You like it,” he said smugly. Merlin’s ears flushed bright and he turned his face away. Arthur tutted and kissed the back of his neck. “You like my cock inside you. I can feel your hole twitching. You like me being _stuck_ inside you. You’ve loved this whole thing, haven’t you?”

The flush was spreading rich and red and blotchy down Merlin’s neck, and his breath hitched. “It’s okay,” coaxed Arthur. “You can tell me. You sure seemed to be enjoying it. I know I did.”

“Arthur,” Merlin whined. “If we’re going to have to stay like this, then shut up.”

“All right. No need to be like that. I was just talking, I mean, like you said, here we are, like this,” Arthur traced a finger around Merlin’s rim and his swollen cock and Merlin shuddered. “We’re not exactly able to go anywhere.” Then a thought struck him. “What if this is permanent?”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Merlin said. “It better not be. And if it is, well, then we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Just lay down and let’s just wait to see what happens.”

He carefully lowered himself on down on top of Merlin and pulled a blanket over them both. “That’s it. That’s your grand plan to sort this out? Just wait?” Arthur asked him shifting to try and get comfortable against Merlin’s bony shoulder blades and sharp hips.

“What’s your big idea then?” exclaimed Merlin. “Let Gaius know?” 

“Well, he IS a physician, Merlin,” Arthur pointed out.

“No,” said Merlin abruptly. “Absolutely not. We are NOT telling Gaius about this. He must never know. I’d rather stay like this forever.”

“Nice to know how I rank against the choices. Though, I must say personally, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to staying like this forever.”

Merlin craned his neck to look at him. “Really?” he asked, his blue eyes wide with surprise.

Arthur frowned. “Don’t you want to?”

“I—”

Merlin was interrupted by the sounds of a door opening and closing in the main chambers and he went rigid beneath Arthur.

“Merlin?” called Gaius’ voice. “You will be pleased to know I think I’ve discovered the cause of your symptoms. Including those ones you _think_ you’ve been hiding from me.”

Hiding his head under his pillow Merlin groaned with dismay. “Oh, fucking hell,” he whispered.

“I had to do some searching in the library, but… I _think_ you may be experiencing a rather specific bonding spell. For which, I’m afraid there is only one known cure. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but—”

Gaius’s voice got progressively louder as he continued to speak and there was a creaking sound on the stairs. Arthur looked up and Gaius stood with an eyebrow raised in the doorway of the room.

“Ah,” he announced. “I see you’ve been able to discover the cure for yourselves. I’ll just... leave you to it, shall I?”

Slowly Gaius bent to pick up the door and gingerly rested it against the wall so that it was partially closed before leaving and when the outer door for the chamber slammed shut Merlin’s muffed voice emitted from under the pillow.

“Oh gods, Arthur. Put me out of my misery. Kill me now.”

With a grin, Arthur started to sniff and nuzzle at the back of Merlin’s neck. “It could have been worse,” he said.

Merlin threw away the pillow. “How?” he asked. “How, could this have possibly been worse? Gaius knows we’ve been… intimate.”

“He could have come in when you were begging for me to fuck you.”

Glaring back at him Merlin replied hotly, “I did not!”

“I’m pretty sure you did. I seem to recall you saying; ‘Keep going, Arthur. I need more’ and ‘Just give it to me’” Arthur said in a high-pitched voice.

“Shut up. You’re an arse.”

“Merlin, you can’t speak to me like that!”

“And besides, you heard Gaius. That was a spell. I’m sure the fact that I wanted you desperately was a part of all that.”

Arthur moved to thrust incrementally within Merlin’s arse and Merlin let out a small whine. 

“What was that, Merlin? Wanted me desperately, huh? Just a part of the spell?” He slid his hand down between Merlin’s body and the mattress. “Just as I thought, you’re hard again. You want me. You _need_ me. And the spell’s over.”

Merlin shook his head but as Arthur started to rock himself in and out. Merlin's hole started to grow wetter and looser at Arthur’s actions. 

“This says otherwise,” Arthur said smugly, sliding a finger in alongside his still-swollen cock. “Round two? It’s all right. I won’t make you beg for it, I already know you want me. I can _feel_ it. I can _smell_ it.”

“But Gaius—” Merlin started to say.

“Won’t be back for ages,” Arthur told him. His cock finally slipped free from Merlin and Merlin shuddered under him. “Turn over. I want to see you this time.” 

He smiled softly as Merlin rolled over to face him. “I know Gaius said it was a spell, but it felt right. It still feels right, doesn’t it?”

With gentle eyes Merlin looked up at him, he cupped Arthur’s face with his hand. “It does,” he agreed and pulled Arthur down to kiss him.


End file.
